Street Sweeping

The street cleaning program removes dirt and debris from City streets to help provide safe conditions for all modes of transportation and a healthy and attractive environment for citizens and visitors. The street cleaning program sweeps over 834 miles of streets within the City of Bend, including residential streets and major arterial streets - averaging over 34,000 lane miles per year.

Due to funding cuts, all residential streets are swept only 1-2 times per year. All major arterials are swept four or more times per year.

Helping prevent flooding and water contamination...Removal of leaves and debris is necessary to prevent stormwater drains from clogging, which can result in street flooding. Street cleaning protects water quality by helping minimize the potential for river and groundwater contamination. Learn more about the stormwater program.

It's easy to do your part...Help the street sweepers clean your street by keeping tree branches and bushes trimmed back so sweepers can sweep up to the curb line. Link to more ways to help street sweepers clean the streets in front of your house.

What you can do to maximize a clean sweep
Keeping the roadway in front of your house free of large objects and obstructions is the best way to assist street sweeping clean-up efforts in your neighborhood.

Remove large sticks and branches from the roadway in front of your house. They will clog and jam the sweeper's operating system.

Remove grass or weeds that grow in the gutter. This will reduce debris in front of your house and will improve water runoff during rainstorms.

Report abandoned autos: (541) 693-6911

Properly trim your street trees and bushes so the sweeper can clean next to the curb.

If you own a pet, please be a good neighbor and 'scoop the poop'.

Tell your children the benefits of a clean neighborhood and encourage them to dispose of litter properly.

The Street Division employees strive to improve customer response and control expenses through sweep scheduling, efficient routes, crew coordination, and planned sweeper replacement. We welcome citizen feedback and reporting. Report non-emergency issues by using an online form or by calling (541) 317-3000.

Where and when we sweep

Due to funding cuts residential streets are swept one or two times per year.

The downtown area is swept once a week. (Twice a week for special events and in the fall.)

Collectors and major arterial streets and bike lanes are swept at least four times per year. Additional sweeping of major streets is required to collect gravel from roadways after snow event operations.

Why wasn't street sweeping completed in front of my house? There are many reasons why the sweeper may not have been able to remove debris from your street. Most often, it's because items such as cars, bicycles, toys, basketball hoops, and refuse containers are blocking the roadway. Vehicles parked too close to each other for the sweeper to maneuver between them is another cause. Low-hanging trees and shrubs can also prevent sweepers from cleaning in front of your house.

Why isn't there a regular street sweeping schedule for City of Bend streets?Some street re-paving projects and some roadway construction projects do provide letters to residents about an anticipated work schedule. However, in the case of street sweeping currently, the expense of notification - signage and enforcement - to get vehicles parked on one side or the other of a street is cost prohibitive. In addition, an attempt to provide a sweeping schedule for each of our four seasons in Bend would likely result in a frustrated public because many factors beyond our control can result in delays to our street sweeping schedule.

The following factors can frequently disrupt our street cleaning schedule:

Weather - heavy rainfall, wind storm, snow and ice

Utility work by other agencies

Private construction activities in the public rights of way

Other street maintenance and road repair activities

Equipment issues

Parked cars on both sides of the street

How much debris is in the street - extra debris (leaves, gravel, etc.) in the street requires extra cleanup and delays a crew

Overhanging tree limbs that prohibit our crews from getting to the curb to clean a street

Heavy leaf/pine needle fall

Various emergency response demands/unexpected events

Currently, the expense of notification - signage, mailings, and enforcement - to get vehicles parked on one side or the other of a street is cost prohibitive.